ESTIMATING VEHICLE FUEL CONSUMPTION IN URBAN AREAS

The work described here was undertaken within the context of a research project whose main aim is the modelling of area-wide effects of traffic management measures through traffic flow simulation and assignment techniques. Given that fuel conservation is an objective of national importance, it was thought that a tool which is to be used in the evaluation of traffic management schemes should include fuel consumption as one of the performance measures. Relationships between fuel consumption under urban driving conditions and the inverse of average travel speed have been inferred from experimental tests. These results, as well as those obtained from computer simulation of traffic flow and vehicle performance, are discussed and a relationship which gives urban fuel consumption as a function of journey distance, total delayed time and the number of stops is put forward for the "average urban passenger car" in the U.K. Possible refinements to this formulation are discussed. The role that traffic management measures can play in energy conservation is placed in perspective by looking at the national and urban fuel consumption patterns. A review of reported potential fuel savings from traffic management measures is also undertaken. The fuel consumption consequences of changing the common cycle time for a co-ordinated system of signalised intersections are shown using data from Liverpool city centre and the saturn traffic simulation/assignment model. (TRRL)

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Leeds

  Institute for Transport Studies
  Leeds, West Yorkshire  United Kingdom  LS2 9JT
• Authors:
  • FERREIRA, LJA
• Publication Date: 1981-1

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 36 p.
• Serial:
  • Issue Number: 144

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Energy conservation; Estimating; Fuel consumption; Highway traffic control; Intersections; Location; Mathematical models; Signalized intersections; Simulation; Speed; Traffic assignment; Traffic delays; Traffic flow; Traffic signal control systems; Traffic speed; Urban areas; Waiting time
• ITRD Terms: 9010: Delay; 232: Fuel consumption; 455: Junction; 597: Linked signals; 9061: Location; 9103: Simulation; 5408: Speed; 679: Traffic assignment; 671: Traffic flow; 313: Urban area; 9100: Waiting time
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Vehicles and Equipment; I71: Traffic Theory; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control; I96: Vehicle Operating Costs;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00370413
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Report/Paper Numbers: Monograph
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 28 1983 12:00AM